The 10 Kings of the Daoist Underworld,a reflection on walking the Maze of Hell as Meditation.

According to ancient Daoist teaching, there is a place in the afterlife known as Feng Du or "the Underworld." Feng Du is similar to what is known in the West as "purgatory," and is also called the "Realm of the Dead." Unlike the Hells in most traditions, Feng Du is not located underground, but is said to be housed in Feng Du Mountain, located in the North (under the ocean).
According to the Declarations of the Perfected,
the Emperor of the North governs "Mount Luofeng" (better known as "Mount Feng Du"), located in the Northernmost region of the universe. This enormous mountain was a place for the dead, and its headquarters was located in six Grotto-Palaces, known as the "Six Heavens."
The Underworld is also ruled by "Yan Luo Wang," who is sometimes called the "God of Death" and the "King of Hell." Certain Daoist sects teach that the Underworld is a maze, consisting of not 6 but 10 levels, governed by 10 powerful kings. Each level has numerous chambers, where the souls of the dead are taken to atone for their Earthly sins, and where newly "transformed" or "purified" spirits are made ready for their next incarnation. According to these ancient Daoist teachings, the 10 Kings of the Underworld are actually the spiritual manifestations of the "10 Directional Lords of Salvation for the Suffering Souls" (i.e., the ten manifestation of Lord Tai Yi, . It is said that, because the universe is so big, with infinite dimensions, Lord Tai Yi manifested himself into 10 other Lords.
according to ancient Daoist teaching, the Underworld is a dark and obscure realm; one that could not be entered by common individuals. Only priests, sorcerers, and shamans were capable or daring enough to sojourn into the Underworld. The ancient Daoist priests believed that unless an individual became an immortal, every soul was destined to end up traveling into the Underworld after they died. At the time of their death, each individual passes through what the ancient Daoists called "the Ghost Gate." This magical passageway into the Underworld is a spiritual portal, that divides the physical world from the spiritual world. In Daoist Magic Ritual, the Ghost Gate is traditionally located at the North-East corner of the altar space.
Two Yin-Yang Guards ("Escorts of the Underworld") stand at the entrance of this gate and are often required to chain and drag the ghosts to the Celestial Court. A Daoist of the Left hand path may want to contact these 10 kings within his own subjective universe,and walk the 10 levels of the maze as meditation.At least This Daoist of the Left might enjoy such a task......Copyright 2015 Vincent Piazza